Roanoke Bound
by saketini
Summary: Canonverse, late 17th Century America. America does exactly what you expect him to do when he is given a rule and meets someone he had forgotten.


"Do not move from this spot."

"Mmhmm."

"America, look at me. Are you listening?"

"Yes, England. _Do not move from this spot,_" he looked up at his caretaker from beneath his bangs with a grin, "I'll stay here in the shallow bits."

America crouched down and stuck a small finger into the water to disturb the dancing tadpoles. They had traveled down as a pair with one of England's accountants to the southern Tidewater region of the colony of Virginia to inspect the tobacco plantations and settlers. After that, they planned reach Jamestown and eventually work their way along the James River. That way they could cut their way through part of the Piedmont region before heading back north to Maryland and eventually Pennsylvania. America was thrilled, the nurses and house servants England had left him with during his long absences rarely allowed him to leave the home. The had a tendency to treat him his physical age instead of his actual age, a source of unending aggravation to the boy.

_"No, lovely,"_ they'd chide, _"Sir England said to keep you close and safe. We can't do that if you're dancing in the Virginia Wilderness on your own._"

From there he would huff and cry before he realized he was only proving their assumptions right on his maturity.

"I'll only be gone a half hour at most. If you aren't here when I return, so help me -"

"I will be, I will be," America bounced back to where England was standing beside his discarded shoes and stockings and hugged the man around his legs, pressing his face into his coat, "You're the one who's always leaving. I stay."

"Don't start that now. We've several weeks before I need to head home and I would be taking you with me to this farm if you had not tried to drag a cow an acre at the last. You frightened your people half to death. We won't make it very far if I have to continually convince people you are not a witch."

England leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to the top of his head and ruffled his hair before disentangling his legs.

"I mean it. Stay. I don't want you chasing rabbits and ending up half way to Carolina."

"I promise!"

England walked back to their horse where it stood beside their awaiting servant and left. America watched until the two disappeared behind a bend and turned back to the tadpoles.

"It's not like I didn't walk around on my own all the time before. They act like I am six years old."

Which he was. Technically. Sort of. But not really.

His new friends danced happy circles around his fingertips before they attracted a fish and fled.

"Not you too! That was mean of you," he grumbled at what he thought might be a carp but he wasn't sure, "We were dancing."

He watched as the fish fled back upstream and let out a huff, his wayward curl bouncing with the disturbance in the air.

"Dancing?"

"The tadpoles were -" America interrupted himself upon realizing he had an audience. A young woman stood behind him with her head tucked beneath a hat to protect her from the sun, presumably a colonist from a nearby settlement.

"Tadpoles?" she laughed.

"Ah, yes... England left me behind again so I was playing with them. If you are slow enough, they spin around your finger when you stick it in the water instead of running away."

"That sounds like fun. Your friend's name is England? The one on the horse just now?"

"Ah, yes. It's... I'm not supposed to explain to strangers."

"My apologies, dear! My name is Eleanor. I was traveling with my husband and daughter. What is your name?"

"America!" He puffed up excitedly, happy to be introducing himself to one of his people without the aid of his caretakers.

"My, you have a unique name too!"

"Ah... I suppose."

"It's lovely, don't be embarrassed," she kneeled down in the grass beside him, tucking her worn skirts beneath her knees. It appeared her trip had been a long one.

"You said you were traveling with your family, ma'am?"

"Yes, my husband and my daughter, Virginia. You've the same hair as my Virginia," he couldn't quite see her face but she seemed to smile at that and tilted her head towards his curl, "lovely, lovely."

The woman reached out her hand as if to touch but curled it back and tucked it back under her shawl last minute.

"They're waiting for me but I had a few things to take care of first."

"I hope I'm not keeping you, ma'am?" America blushed and fought the urge to shy away from her arm. _ She's one of my people. She's just being nice. England would be proud that I was bonding with one of my people. She looks familiar though..._

"Not at all, lovely," she hid her grin behind her gloved hand, "I needed a bit of a rest."

"How has your trip been?" He was proud of himself for not blurting: _You look exhausted. _That would be rude. England would be very proud of him when he told him about it later. But she looked so _thin. _

"Long. The three of us were leaving... I believe you call it Carolina? We had a settlement there."

"Yes, Carolina is nice. We are in Virginia now. It's like your daughter!" being polite and teaching one of his people about geography! America was doing quite well for himself today.

"Indeed it is," she laughed behind her hand again, "would you like to meet her?"

Eleanor pressed her hand against his arm. _No wonder she has that shawl! She's freezing! And she doesn't feel quite like one of mine?_

"Ah, England said I should stay. He'll be back in a bit, he said a half hour at most. I'll introduce you and he can meet your family too!"

"Oh, I would like that very much! Unfortunately, I do not have that long... How about I promise we'll be done before England returns? I can promise that," she smiled sweetly and America realized why she continued to cover her mouth, the poor woman had already lost her teeth, her mouth seemed a bit gaping, "You do look very much like my Virginia. She's a bit younger than you but you could be her brother! You can tell me about your England along the way?"

America tugged lightly at the grass at his feet to keep from shuddering away from her touch. _She looks so lonely. They must have been traveling a long time. I should make my people feel better, right? England always says to treat them well... Why does she feel so strange?_ He looked towards the river, noticing his friends had all apparently swam away for good.

"I won't be able to stay long, but I would like to say 'hello' to Miss Virginia," he turned to her with his bright grin, the one that his nurse said would be 'dangerous' before England blushed and shushed her.

"Wonderful! Truly wonderful, my lovely," she held out her hand as she stood, "it's almost time for our tea."

America took her hand and struggled to hold back the shudder. _She feels like... Like one of mine but faint. She looks so familiar though?_

"You promised you'd tell me of your England, my lovely."

"Yes! He's a good person. He has been taking care of me! He has lots of books that are no fun but he is strong and brave and keeps the awful things away at night."

"I wish I could tell him what a wonderful job he has done of it then, such a lovely child," she smiled toothlessly at him, "lovely, lovely. Are you two related? He is your cousin or brother, perhaps?"

"Um, no. He sort of found me?"

"Ah! Like I found you!" she laughed again as they walked past his shoes and stockings.

"Miss Eleanor? Those are mine. I would not want to be rude and meet Miss Virginia barefoot... Not that I wanted to meet you barefoot!"

"It's fine, lovely," she tugged him along. "we'll be quick about it. You won't be needing those. Do you have any siblings then? If your England is not your relative."

"Ah! Yes! Canada is my twin! He's quiet though. And kinda French..."

"So you are a matching set? How sweet! With such fantastic names!"

America smiled at her enthusiasm rather than her wording.

"You said you were from Carolina, Miss Eleanor?" He hoped she didn't plan on taking him all the way there. England had specifically marked that as a place not to go on his own but she seemed to be tugging him westwards along the river, towards the hills.

"Yes, yes. That is where we lived. I am originally from London, however."

"London! That's where England lives! He promised to show me his home someday when I am old enough for the trip," he grinned again. _That's why she feels weird. She must be one of England's people too. He'll be really happy!_

America looked back at his stockings, embarrassed he would be meeting one of his and England's people without them. _Wait._

"Miss Eleanor?" he kept his eyes trained on the ground behind them as she tugged. His shadow reflected his bouncing curl, "Miss Eleanor, I don't... where is your shadow?"

"Do not worry, lovely! I am no witch if that is what you're asking!"

"Well..."

"I promise," her gaping grin was sincere, and she was one of England's people... England saw strange things. Maybe she had that ability too? Maybe his people were special?

"Where in Carolina did you say you were from Miss Eleanor? The northern bit or one of the islands, maybe?"

"An island settlement, lovely. Roanoke," _cold, cold, cold. _

"Roanoke has been gone a long time, Miss Eleanor..." he tugged his hand but she held fast. It hadn't quite been a hundred years... but they had been gone for so long..._ cold, so cold._

"You look like the little boy who would watch us from the bushes," she was pulling him up the hill now. His bare feet were cutting on the stones and pebbles, "he was so sweet! I wanted him to meet my Virginia. My Virginia."

America began to cry. _ I remember now! _

"Miss Eleanor, please let me go back!" he tugged more violently at her hand and tried to slip away, "England wanted me to stay, he gets scary when he's mad! Please!"

"Were you the little boy? A green eyed man took him away too. You'll meet my Virginia, my lovely. You aren't one of the Croatans or Secotans, my lovely? Where did you come from? Were you made to meet us, my lovely?"

"Please stop! England will be mad!" _I remember! She's familiar because I watched them! Miss Virginia Dare and Miss Eleanor! She was one of my first people... but... _

"Please, Miss Dare. I have to go back to England! I promised," he was sobbing now and knew he was acting a child but he was scared and did not care. He had broken his promise, "I told him I would stay for him, please!"

"You know my name, lovely! I'm sorry, but you promised me as well. You promised to meet my Virginia. Were you the boy? The boy who watched us?" she tilted her head down and faced him fully and America screamed.

"Stop! Please! England, I won't break any more promises! Keep the ghosts away! You promised me!"

_"Yes, dearest, I'll keep them away. You'll be safe."_

He frantically turned to look around him, looking for one of his friends but the animals had already figured it out and fled. _Stupid stupid. _ He tugged at her arm more frantically and swung his other arm round to hit her off, but she grabbed him and pulled him close.

"So warm, my lovely. You were the boy! My Virginia will be happy to finally meet you. We fled and ran so far, but it didn't work. There was no food here! None at all! We put her in the ground up the hill, my lovely, just up this hill."

He couldn't stop sobbing but he didn't care. _Those stupid tadpoles had to leave me and that stupid carp scared them and now this ghost is going to eat me and I'll never see England's house and I'll never get to meet my rabbit's babies when they are born next season and I'll never get to pull on Canada's hair again and England will never hug me and I'll never get to say I'm sorry._

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

"For what, my lovely?" she tilted his head back with her free arm, grabbing at his cowlick and causing her sleeve to slip down, exposing the bone, "My Virginia will be so happy to meet you. Is this about your stockings?"

He was looking up into what her face had become when a nasty crack resounded through the air. The last thing he remembered before he fainted was the smell of gunpowder and how strange it was that he could suddenly see the trees behind her.

When he woke up it was dark. His face was pressed into a scratchy jacket that smelled of a familiar combination of tea, gunpowder, and the sea. _Warm_. He remembered he had something to say.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's alright, dearest."

"But I broke my promise."

"I have a feeling you will not be doing that again," he felt the arm around him squeeze. _Warm. _

"Did you...?"

"I put flowers beside the grave, yes. Go back to sleep now, I'll read you something from your storybooks when we get to the next inn."

_Poor little America, you were probably the only one who didn't see that coming, haha._ _I was writing something else and this had been nagging at my head for days so I figured I would get rid of it. _

_Fun Fact: My nana was named after Virginia Dare. It sounds lovely but my great grandparents were just running out of ideas after 10 children. Great grandpa was from Dare County and great grandma was from Virginia. How convenient!_ _My nana was very thin but definitely not a ghost!_


End file.
